The Late Show with David LettermanThe Late Show with David Letterman is an hour-long weeknight comedy and talk show broadcast by CBS from the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway in New York City. The show debuted on August 30, 1993 and is produced and hosted by David Letterman. The show's musical director and bandleader of the house band the CBS Orchestra is Paul Shaffer. Letterman had previously been the host of Late Night on NBC. When Letterman moved to CBS and began the Late Show, several of Late Night's long-running comedy bits made the move with him, including the Top Ten List. Letterman renamed a few of them to avoid legal problems over trademark infringement. For example, "Viewer Mail" on NBC became the "CBS Mailbag," and Larry "Bud" Melman began to use his real name, Calvert DeForest. One recurring sketch on both the NBC and CBS shows has been the destruction of household items by various methods including explosives, steamrollers, and - most frequently - throwing them off the roof of a building. According to an August 2004 edition of the show's official newsletter, in eleven years there have been 2264 shows, 4082 guests, 1382 cameo appearances, 1668 musical performances, 473 guests and substitute musicians who have sat in with the CBS Orchestra, 275 stand-ups, and at least 130 demonstrations.
Ongoing sketchesThe show sometimes uses Shaffer and announcer Alan Kalter in comedy routines. Some crew members also make occasional appearances, such as stage manager Biff Henderson, stagehands Pat Farmer and Kenny Sheehan, handyman George Clarke, cue card boy Tony Mendez, producer Maria Pope, and assistant Stephanie Birkitt. Some comedy bits also include Rupert Jee, owner of the Hello Deli, located next door to the Ed Sullivan theater. Dave's Mom, Dorothy Letterman, also makes appearances from time-to-time, including each Thanksgiving. Former recurring players from the show include Sirajul and Mujibur (owners of a nearby gift store), Calvert DeForest, now-retired writer Gerard Mulligan, and the late scenic designer Kathleen Ankers. Dozens of cameo appearances have been made by Tony Randall and Regis Philbin. Letterman involves his audience in routines such as "Stump The Band" (a bit originated by Johnny Carson), "Know Your Current Events", and "Audience Show and Tell"; he brings Rupert Jee and outside bystanders into bits such as "May We See Your Photos, Please?" At CBS Letterman has taken great delight in making fun of his employer, continuing a tradition established at NBC. Letterman took great delight in attacking Westinghouse when the company was in the process of acquiring CBS. For a while, a target of these attacks has been senior Viacom executive Les Moonves. On hearing that Moonves had met with Fidel Castro, Letterman asked his audience to:
More recently, Letterman's relationship with Moonves seems to have improved; a segment titled "More with Les" features jocular phone calls between Letterman and Moonves. Partial listThe following is a partial list of recurring or notable comedy bits:
September 17, 2001On September 17, 2001, The Late Show with David Letterman returned to the television airwaves six days after the September 11th attacks, a high-profile appearance given the anxiety and grief still felt by many at the time, especially in New York City. In his opening monologue, an emotional David Letterman said:
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Categories: CBS network shows | Television series | David Letterman |
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